RUG CATALOG STORY

It began with a simple request from an Elder to Linda Myers at the close of a foodrun. An Elder shyly came up to Linda with a rug and placed it in her hands. "Please take this rug and sell it for me." Traditional Elders often must support their families by the sale of their weaving. Many times the local buyers will not pay anywhere near the value of the rug or weaving, if they will buy the rug at all.

A printed catalog became a necessity as more and more rugs were given to Linda to be sold. More and more frequently, a package would arrive in the mail with a simple note: "Please sell my rug for me." No signed contracts or written agreements. Pure trust that we would act in the Elder's best interest. From the very beginning, all proceeds from the sale of the Elders' rugs are returned to the weaver.

From that simple request grew the Annual Rug Show and Sale held each November in Park City, Utah. However, the Rug Show and Sale lasts just a few days each year and the Elders' needs must be met year around. To enable Elders to sell their weaving all year, we have established a rug catalog. It is available online and in printed form. The printed version of the rug catalog is available semi-annually.

Learn a bit more about the Navajo weaving process in the following sections of the website:

Pricing: All prices of the rugs in the catalog are set by the weaver. Since the Elder is not physically present to sell her rug, in some cases there are two prices listed. The "asking price" is the price the Elder would like to receive for the rug. The "low price" is the lowest price the Elder will accept for her rug. You may pay either price or anything in the range between the asking price and the low price.

Payment Options and Shipping Costs: Once you select a rug for purchase, you will be asked to pay for it online with a credit card. In addition to the price of the rug, your credit card will be charged for insurance and shipping costs (based on the value of the rug and the weight to ship it). Items paid for by credit card will be charged 3.5% to cover the costs of the credit card processing fees the Program must pay.

If you prefer not to purchase the rug online, you may call Linda Myers 435-649-0535 and make arrangements to send a check. You will be charged for insurance and shipping for the rug, which depends upon the weight and size of the rug and the value paid for the rug. If you choose to send a check for the rug, once the funds have cleared the bank, the rug will be shipped to you.

Please visit the Rug Catalog to view the available selection of rugs and make a purchase online.

A unique weaving event took place in conjunction with the 2008 rug show. During the year Linda asked Elders to participate in a special weaving event. They would weave rugs based on one of two themes, Offerings or Moon over the Cornfields. The rugs, and their accompanying narratives, sold quickly at the opening of the show. You can download a book entitled Visions which documents this extraordinary collection.